Myanmar Political Prisoners Not Among 1,600 Freed in New Year Amnesty

Aye Myint, whose 19-year-old daughter was serving three years on a political charge, had hoped she would be released.

“Now, she has been more than one year in prison,” Aye Myint said.

Subdued holiday

At around midday, a prison officer confirmed that “about 160 prisoners including six women prisoners” had been released from Insein, without giving more details.

There was no mention of the Australian economist Sean Turnell, a former Suu Kyi advisor who was arrested shortly after the coup.

He is currently on trial for allegedly breaching the official secrets act, which carries a maximum 14-year jail sentence.

The exact details of his alleged offense have not been made public, though state television has said he had access to “secret state financial information” and had tried to flee Myanmar.

The country typically grants an annual amnesty to thousands of prisoners to mark the Buddhist New Year, usually, a joyous holiday celebrated in many parts with water fights.

But this year, with the bloody military crackdown on dissent, the streets in many major cities have been silent as people protest junta rule.

Source: Agence France-Presse